42 



CULTIVATION OF THE SUGAR CANE. 



Planter in the beginning of the present century, who 

 possessed some fine estates in Barbadoes, and who is still 

 alive, used to put a plant in each corner of the hole, and 

 one in the middle, and regret there was no room for more ! 

 The number of plants has since been decreased, and in 

 some cases the size of the cane-hole increased with much 

 advantage — one plant in a hole, three and a -half or 

 four feet square, being deemed sufficient. About ten 

 years ago an experiment was tried by some enterpris- 

 ing persons of increasing the space between the rows 

 of cane-plants, which proved so successful, that, even 

 without taking into consideration the vast advantage 

 to be derived from the facility afforded for the use of 

 the horse-hoe in weeding, the plan was, in a few years, 

 very extensively adopted in Barbadoes, and St. Kitts, 

 and partially in other places.* The distance most usually 

 adopted, was six feet by four, that is parallel rows, six feet 

 apart, and the plants set four feet from each other on the 

 row. Many, however, planted them farther apart, widen- 

 ing the space between the rows to eight feet, and keeping 

 the plants four feet apart on the row, as before, with what 

 success may be seen from the fact, that a gentleman, well 

 known in Barbadoes, reaped in 1847, from 90 acres of canes, 

 planted eight feet by four, 230 hhds. of sugar. Even 

 with such facts before them, so great is the force of habit 

 and prejudice, that many persons cannot be convinced 



* I perceive the author of one of the Jamaica prize essays in 1843? 

 advocating the practice. 



